Throughout New Ulm, the Heart of New Ulm and the Safe Routes to School Action Team are working hard to promote walking and biking as a form of transportation and recreation. There are so many benefits associated with walking and bicycling that it seems like a no-brainer. However, if people don’t feel safe doing either, they most likely won’t do it.

Whether walking or driving, we all need to be good role models to ensure safety for everyone — and especially our children who are walking to school. In surveys conducted by the Safe Routes to School Action Team, New Ulm parents have repeatedly said that they don’t let their children walk or bike to school because of the amount of traffic, the speed of traffic and safety at intersections. That’s why, as we gear up for school to begin in just a few weeks, this month’s message in our SEE.SAFE.SMART. safety campaign is so important: “We cross here; watch for us.”

The main message is this: EVERY corner is considered a crosswalk, whether it is marked or not. If a pedestrian has one foot in the crosswalk, it demonstrates their intent to cross the street. Everyone needs to pay attention to their surroundings and stop for those waiting at intersections so they may cross. It is also important to scan the street for people walking, especially before turning.

For children of school age, walking to school provides several benefits. It helps them focus better once they arrive in the classroom and perform better in school. In fact, research shows that children who are more physically active score higher on tests and receive better grades. Walking also helps children develop a healthy active lifestyle that can last a lifetime.

For adults, walking is good for both physical and mental health. Being physically active for at least 60 minutes each day can help decrease your risk of costly conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, and can also improve your sense of wellbeing.

As we think about safety, it can help to remind ourselves that we are all pedestrians at one time or another. For example, we can’t drive directly into our workplace; many of us have to park along the street and then cross a busy street to get to work. Some children don’t have a choice on whether they walk to school or not.

What we all can do is be better stewards of our streets both as drivers and walkers. We need to stay off our cell phones, take off our headphones and pay attention to our surroundings while traveling in New Ulm and elsewhere. Let’s all SEE people biking or walking, act SAFE, and be SMART.